Posted on October 9, 2013

On Sunday, April 21, 2013, starting at 11am (rain or shine), oral cancer survivors and their families will join dental students, residents, and faculty of New York University College of Dentistry for New York City’s eighth annual Oral Cancer Walk. This year’s walk will be held in Queens to raise awareness of a disease that kills over 7,000 American men and women each year.

Other sponsors and participants include: Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, Columbia, Stony Brook, students from other chapters of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA), plus participants from the Oral Cancer Foundation, and the Oral Cancer Consortium.

Last spring, the seventh annual NYC Oral Cancer walk was a success, attracting some 700 participants, up from just shy of 300 walkers in 2006, the first year of the walk, and raising nearly $30,000. This year, the goal will be to double both the number of walkers and the funds raised.

If detected in its earliest stages oral cancer is easily treated. The key is early detection and prevention. Major risk factors are tobacco, heavy alcohol use, and human papillomavirus 16 infection.

Free oral cancer screenings will be available at 10 am, and free healthy snacks and beverages will be provided to all walkers. There will be prizes for the walkers or team leaders who raise the most money. There will also be a drawing for tickets to the 1:10 pm Mets game vs the Washington National (check www.oralcancerwalknyc.org for further details).

Welcoming ceremonies begin at 10:00AM and Walk begins at 11AM. Participants will receive a map of the walk route (approximately four miles) when they register.

Registration is $30 per walker; $25 if you register in advance online at www.oralcancerwalknyc.org (plus you get an oral cancer walk bracelet and T-shirts with the Oral Cancer Walk logo will go to the first 600 registrants!) Walkers are encouraged to seek sponsorship to cover and exceed their registration cost. Walker pledge forms available at www.oralcancerwalknyc.org

About New York University College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865, New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating more than 8 percent of all dentists. NYUCD has a significant global reach and provides a level of national and international diversity among its students that is unmatched by any other dental school.